Livingston star growing into role as go-to player and leader in third season.

Annnie Winton didn’t start against Mariposa on Wednesday afternoon. The Livingston High junior came off the bench less than 4 minutes into the game.

As soon as Winton stepped on the floor after a timeout midway through the first quarter, Grizzlies coach Trace DeSandres switched his defense to a box-and-one.

Mariposa’ best player Milea Appling was guarding Winton man-to-man while the other four Mariposa players played a four-man zone, protecting the paint.

With Western Athletic Conference play starting play less than two weeks away, Winton will get used to defenses focused in on stopping her.

Even with the Mariposa defense geared toward stopping her, Winton still managed to hit five 3-pointers and score 24 points in a 57-45 loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday afternoon.

“She saw some of the those type of defenses last year and she got frustrated,” said Livingston coach Nina Garcia. “This year she’s mentally prepared for it. If she’s mentally prepared for it, she has the skill set for it.”

Why are defenses focusing in on Winton?

Just look at her last four games:

A career high 38 points in a 60-45 win against Riverbank on December 20.

She followed that with 35 points in a 49-45 win over Sierra of Manteca two days later.

She scored 31 points in a 60-47 win over Ygnacio Valley on December 23rd.

Then 24 points against Mariposa on Wednesday.

Winton is averaging 32 points per game in her last four games.

“It’s definitely different this year,” Winton said. “This year I wanted to play with more confidence. I wanted to step up. It’s a lot different than my freshman and sophomore year.”

Winton is averaging 21.9 points per game, which ranks seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section according to MaxPreps.

She’s made 28 3-pointers in 11 games, but during her recent scoring barrage she’s been attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line.

“The 3-pointer is her weapon,” Garcia said. “But during those 30-point games she’s been getting to the free throw line. She’s a lot tougher this year.”

The Wolves have also seen the wins pile up with Winton’s scoring increase. After an 0-4 start to the season, Livingston has won seven of their last nine games to improve to 7-6.

Winton says now as a junior and third-year varsity player, she’s growing into a leadership role on the team. She wasn’t ready for it as a sophomore last year.

“My freshman year, my first year here was one of the best teams I’ve ever been a part of,” Winton said. “We won a league championship. Those seniors really brought me in and taught me a lot.”

Winton grew up coming to Livingston High games. Her father Scott is the athletic director and her uncle Matt is the longtime baseball coach.

“I remember when we were little, sitting up in the corner of the old gym,” Annie said. “The place would be packed. I love it here. I can’t imagine playing anywhere else.”

During high school Winton has played golf, softball and soccer, but she says basketball is her favorite.

She worked hard to improve her game in the offseason. If she was shooting shots at home, she was in the gym using the program’s new shooting machine.

Winton shot so much she injured her shoulder and had to back off on the amount of shots she was taking.

“She’s fantastic to coach,” Garcia said. “I love it. Not only is the kid talented, she knows she’s talented and she’s willing to put in the work.”

After a tough season last year, and a young team this season, it’s tough to know what to expect from the Wolves this season. They hope their recent success will carry over to league play.

“We just want to work as hard as we can,” Winton said. “Our main goal is to try to win league. ‘Effort counts twice,’ is one of our sayings. We’re not the most talented team, but effort goes a long way.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Livingston star growing into role as go-to player and leader in third season.."